United Way of Windham County has completed another successful year of addressing the needs of community residents by completing an ambitious fundraising campaign and facilitating partnerships and collaborations with social service agencies countywide. As the fiscal year came to a close at the end of June, United Way announced its annual fundraising returns last week.

"We are so pleased to announce that, working together, our staff and volunteers leveraged more than a half a million dollars in community contributions. We are now putting those dollars to work meeting the needs of Windham County residents," said United Way's Executive Director, Carmen Derby. "We are really proud of our volunteers who worked tirelessly to raise these funds, our employers who ran terrific workplace campaigns, and all of our friends in the community who came together to generously support this effort," continued Derby.

In addition to raising over $500,000 for community programs through their annual campaign, United Way also played a key role in several other community initiatives this year. As the local repository for donations designated to meet the long-term needs of the displaced Brooks House residents, United Way managed an additional $22,000 in contributions related to the disaster. 100% of these funds will be allocated directly to the Brooks House residents. In May, United Way was the lead coordinator of the Free Adult Dental Care Day, which leveraged over $90,000 in in-kind donations, primarily in dental services for uninsured adults. These services - donated by several local dentists and oral surgeons - helped meet critical dental health needs for 184 local adults.

United Way's ability to attract volunteer support translated to over 3,000 volunteer hours contributed to various community projects, including United Way's annual Day of Caring event, slated this year for September 3rd. The time donated by United Way volunteers over the past year is valued at over $67,000.

"When we add up the efforts over the past year, we are astounded that we topped $630,000 in support. However, we remain much more focused on meeting the community's needs than on meeting a specific financial goal," said Derby.

The mission of the United Way of Windham County is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of the community. Working with volunteers, donors, service providers, businesses, and other stakeholders, United Way of Windham County assures a viable community-wide, human-services infrastructure for Windham County's residents.

Anyone interested in becoming involved, making a donation or volunteering time, talent or resources is encouraged to contact United Way at 802-257-4011,or visit www.unitedwaywindham.org.

For interview, please contact:
Carmen Derby, Executive Director, United Way, 802-257-4011, ext 110